Action verbs for your CV (with examples)
The verb at the start of a bullet point signals whether you drove something or just showed up for it. "Responsible for" is the most common weak opener on CVs - swapping it costs nothing and reads noticeably stronger.
Why "responsible for" falls flat
It describes a duty, not a result. "Responsible for social media" could mean you ran a campaign that doubled engagement, or that you occasionally posted when asked. Recruiters can't tell the difference, so they assume the weaker version.
Strong verbs by category
- Leadership: led, coordinated, mentored, directed
- Achievement: increased, reduced, delivered, exceeded
- Analysis: analysed, identified, evaluated, diagnosed
- Creation: built, designed, launched, developed
Before / after
Before: "Responsible for onboarding new clients."
After: "Onboarded 40+ new clients per quarter, cutting setup time by 30%."
The verb change alone helps - pairing it with a number (see our guide on quantifying achievements) does the rest.
Appliora's AI assistant suggests stronger verbs and phrasing as you write - free to try.
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Comments (2)
Went through my whole CV replacing "responsible for" - reads so much more direct now.
That single pass is one of the highest-value 10 minutes you can spend on a CV.
Would add "streamlined" and "negotiated" to the list, both worked well for my ops background.